Are you supposed to use certain slots when installing memory?

[fastcarfastbike]

So today I upgrade my 4gb ddr3->12gb....a nice upgrade, but it wasn't without problems....

On my mobo, there are 6 slots in a row, and the tabs on the outside alternate between black and white....

i had 4gb's from the factory, that were in slots 1, 2, 4 and 6., which was black, white, white, white.

when i installed the 12gb, i put it into all the black slots, for even spacing, if for no reason at all. My cpu would not boot, it just beeped twice, went silent, and repeated the warning code. I took the ram out, and put it into slots, 1, 2, and 4. (black, white, white)(three 4gb sticks) and now it works fine...

i am trying to figure out the reason it didn't work with my 1st configuration. and further more, if it is even in correctly now. IDK if it matters, but what was in before was 4 1gb sticks, of the 1066...now is 3x4gb sticks, of 1333...the memory is from crucial.

 

[PreferLinux]

Put it in the white slots.

 

[fastcarfastbike]

lol, thanks, i did that, and it worked or w/e...well, the 1st stick is in a black slot...should i change the other one? what are the black slots for?

 

[Leaps-from-Shadows]

As you have already found out, certain slots need to be used first.

Right now it is working, but not giving you maximum performance. Your board has three memory channels and you are only using two of them. Assuming that slots 1-3-5 are black and 2-4-6 are white, you should have the RAM in 2-4-6 right now for maximum performance.

 

[fastcarfastbike]

i see, thank you guys

 

[fastcarfastbike]

Best answer selected by fastcarfastbike.